Instructor: Dr. Kisha Tracy
Office: Miller Hall 204
Office Hours: MW 9:30-10:45 or by appointment (to request a meeting outside of office hours, click here and follow instructions)
Email: ktracy3@fitchburgstate.edu (best way to contact)
Phone: x4827
Mailbox: Miller Hall, English Studies Department Office

Time: MW 11AM
Location: THOM 312

Syllabus: “The Middle Ages”
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Purdue University Student Guide to Creating a Successful College Experience

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Course Schedule: “The Middle Ages”
Weekly Quizzes due by Friday at midnight in designated weeks (10 total)
How to Find Readings:
  • Readings with page numbers (or Roman numerals) are in your textbook. Page numbers are from the 3rd edition.
  • Readings marked as PDF are located on Blackboard under “Course Documents.”
  • Readings with a hyperlink can be found online by clicking on the title.
  • Readings without page numbers, PDF, or a hyperlink can be found in the relevant Required Texts (listed above).
There is a scholarly article assigned for each unit. You are required to read and comment on each one prior to the class in which it is assigned; late annotations will NOT be accepted for points (however, there are two articles that can be annotated for bonus points). The instructions for finding and commenting on these articles can be found at Article Annotations.

Day
Class
In-Class
Assignments Due
Sept 7

  • No Classes: Labor Day

9
1
  • General Introduction: Expectations for course/look at schedule; Wiki intro/sign-up
  • Activity: Interview
  • Discussion: Chaucer’s Retraction to the Canterbury Tales

14
2
Wiki: Sign up for and join wiki prior to class (see Instruction Guide)
Read:
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #1TEDEd Lesson
Unit 1: Holier Than Thou...or Even a Hand Grenade
16
3
  • Discussion: Writing a Religious Figure and Hagiography
Read:
  • Aelfric of Eynsham, (PDF)
  • Saint Mary of Egypt, (PDF)
  • Ruth Mazo Karras, “Holy Harlots: Prostitute Saints in Medieval Legend”
  • Contexts, Religious and Spiritual Life, 659-93
Due by class: Karras Article Annotation
21
4

Read:
Watch:
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #2Five-Minute Medievalist
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #1
23
5
Read:
28
6
  • Endeavors (Special topic – Disability Studies)
  • Special Guest: Coco Zephir, Librarian
  • Assignment Discussion: Endeavors
Read:
Due by class: Stiker Article Annotation (BONUS)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #3Visual Representation
Unit 2: Holding Out for a Hero
30
7
  • No Class: Dr. T Sick
Read:
  • Heliand (PDF)
  • Judith, 117-26
Watch: Prezi on Anglo-Saxon Literature
Oct 5
8
  • Discussion: Writing an Anglo-Saxon Hero
Read:
  • “Battle of Maldon,” 127-32
  • Exeter Book Elegies, 39-48
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #4TEDEd Lesson
7
9
  • Endeavors (Special topic – Editions and Translations)
Read:
  • Beowulf, 65-95
  • J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Monsters and the Critics”
  • Multiple editions of first 800 lines of Beowulf (THREE PDF's: Klaeber, Liuzza, Heaney, Sullivan/Murphy, Tolkien)
  • "Royal Hall from Beowulf found?"
Watch: Prezi on Beowulf
Due by class: Tolkien Article Annotation
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #2
12

  • No Classes: Columbus Day

Unit 3: Iceland? That’s the Green One, Right?
14
10
  • Discussion: Icelandic History and Literature
  • Assignment Discussion: Checkpoint #3
Read: Egils Saga (approx. half)
Listen: Saga Thing Podcast – Episodes 1A and 1C
19
11

Read:
  • Egils Saga (finish)
  • Jesse L. Byock, “Social Memory and the Sagas: The Case of Egils saga
Watch: Saga Thing Podcast Lecture at FSU
Due by class: Byock Article Annotation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #5Five-Minute Medievalist
21
12

Read: Erik the Red’s Saga
Listen and Read: Saga Thing Podcast – Episodes 4 and 4 Supplement
Bonus opportunity: "The Westford Knight"
26
13
Read:
  • History of Cartography, Chapter 17 (PDF)
  • History of Cartography, Chapter 21 (PDF)
  • History of Cartography, Images (PDF)
Watch: Hereford World Map
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #6Visual Representation
Unit 4: History...or Is It?
28
14
  • Discussion: What is History?
Read:
  • Gildas, 1-8
  • Pseudo-Nennius (PDF)
  • Bede, 16-30
  • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 146-54
Watch: Prezi on Medieval Histories
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #3
Nov 2
15
Read:
  • Geoffrey of Monmouth, 164-86
  • Sir John Mandeville, 598-615
  • Jane Zatta, “Translating the Historia”
Due by class: Zatta Article Annotation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #7Five-Minute Medievalist
Unit 5: Blame (Romances on) the French!
4
16
Read:
  • Fight Manuals (Four PDF's - 11-18, 19-35, 36-52, 53-57 - mostly pictures!)
  • Contexts, Love and Marriage, 384-409
  • Field, “Romance in England, 1066-1400”
  • Berman, “Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Quarrel Over Medieval Women’s Power”
Watch: Prezi on Anglo-Norman Literature
Due by class: Field OR Berman Article Annotation (BONUS)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
9
17
  • Discussion: French to English Romances
Read: Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès
11

  • No Classes: Veterans Day

16
18
  • Special Guest: Kai Fay
Read:
  • Marie de France, Lanval
  • Sir Launfal (PDF)
Due by next class: Chat Room response to guest presentation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #8TEDEd Lesson
18
19

Read:
  • Marie de France, Yonec and Equitan and Lai le Fresne
  • Chaucer, Clerk’s Tale (PDF)
  • Salisbury, Donavin, and Price, “Introduction,” Domestic Violence in Medieval Texts
Due by class: Salisbury, Donavin, Price Article Annotation
Unit 6: The Once and Future King...Well, We’re Waiting...
23
20
Read:
  • Reread Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #4
25

  • No Classes: Thanksgiving Recess

30
21
  • Endeavors (Special topic – History of the English Language)
Read:
  • Thomas Malory, 774-829
  • “Malory, ‘The Giant of St. Michael’s Mount’” (PDF)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #9Visual Representation
Unit 7: The Play Is the Thing
Dec 2
22
  • Discussion: Medieval Drama
Read:
Due by class: Watkins Article Annotation
7
23

Read:
  • "Everyman" (PDF)
  • York Crucifixion Play, 700-7
Watch: YouTube video of previous class performances
9
24
Due by end of class: Endeavors
12


Due by midnight Medievalist for a Semester Journal Article/Cover Letter





Course Schedule: “The Middle Ages”
**Weekly Quizzes due by Friday at midnight in designated weeks (10 total)**
How to Find Readings:

Readings with page numbers (or Roman numerals) are in your textbook. Page numbers are from the 3rd edition.
Readings marked as PDF are located on Blackboard under “Course Documents.”
Readings with a hyperlink can be found online by clicking on the title.
Readings without page numbers, PDF, or a hyperlink can be found in the relevant Required Texts (listed above).

There is a scholarly article assigned for each unit. You are required to read and comment on each one prior to the class in which it is assigned; late annotations will NOT be accepted for points (however, there are two articles that can be annotated for bonus points). The instructions for finding and commenting on these articles can be found at**Article Annotations**.


Day
Class
In-Class
Assignments Due
Sept 7

No Classes: Labor Day

9
1
General Introduction: Expectations for course/look at schedule; Wiki intro/sign-up
Activity: Interview
Discussion: Chaucer’s Retraction to the Canterbury Tales

14
2
Continued Introduction: Beginning of Semester Prep
Assignment Discussion: Medievalist for a Semester (especially Checkpoint #1) and Weekly Quizzes/Article Annotations
Wiki: Sign up for and join wiki prior to class (see Instruction Guide)
Read:
“Introduction to the Medieval Period,” XXXIII-LXXI
"Annotations in early editions of Canterbury Tales"
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #1TEDEd Lesson
Unit 1: Holier Than Thou...or Even a Hand Grenade
16
3
Discussion:Writing a Religious Figure and Hagiography
Read:
Aelfric of Eynsham, (PDF)
Saint Mary of Egypt, (PDF)
Ruth Mazo Karras, “Holy Harlots: Prostitute Saints in Medieval Legend”
Contexts, Religious and Spiritual Life, 659-93
Due by class: Karras Article Annotation
21
4

Read:
“The Life of Saint Margaret,” (PDF)
Chaucer, The Prioress’s Tale, 562-68
Persecution of Jews, 694-97
"Why the Israel-Palestine Conflict"
"Online Essay claimed Jews deserve wrath"
Watch:
Prezi on Crises of 14th Century
"Pakistani Teenage Activist Malala Yousafzai Tells Her Story to John Stewart"
Due by Friday, midnight:Weekly Quiz #2Five-Minute Medievalist
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #1
23
5
Assignment Discussion: Checkpoint #2
Read:
Julian of Norwich, 617-34
Margery Kempe, 635-58
"The Life of a Mystic"

28
6
Endeavors (Special topic – Disability Studies)
Special Guest: Coco Zephir, Librarian
Assignment Discussion: Endeavors
Read:
Henri-Jacques Stiker, “Chapter 4,” A History of Disability
“Anglo-Saxon Remedy Kills Hospital Superbug MRSA”
Due by class: Stiker Article Annotation (BONUS)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #3Visual Representation
Unit 2: Holding Out for a Hero
30
7
Discussion: Writing an Anglo-Saxon Hero
Read:
Heliand (PDF)
Judith, 117-26
Watch: Prezi on Anglo-Saxon Literature
Oct 5
8

Read:
“Battle of Maldon,” 127-32
Exeter Book Elegies, 39-48
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #4TEDEd Lesson
7
9
Endeavors (Special topic Editions and Translations)
Read:
Beowulf, 65-95
J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Monsters and the Critics”
Multiple editions of Beowulf (PDF)
"Royal Hall from Beowulf found?"
Watch: Prezi on Beowulf
Due by class: Tolkien Article Annotation
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #2
12

No Classes: Columbus Day

Unit 3: Iceland? That’s the Green One, Right?
14
10
Discussion: Icelandic History and Literature
Assignment Discussion: Checkpoint #3
Read: Egils Saga (approx. half)
Listen: Saga Thing Podcast – Episodes 1A and 1C
19
11

Read:
Egils Saga (finish)
Jesse L. Byock, “Social Memory and the Sagas: The Case of Egils saga”
Watch: Saga Thing Podcast Lecture at FSU
Due by class: Byock Article Annotation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #5Five-Minute Medievalist
21
12

Read: Erik the Red’s Saga
Listen and Read: Saga Thing Podcast – Episodes 4 and 4 Supplement
Bonus opportunity: "The Westford Knight"
26
13
Endeavors (Special topic – Cartography)
Read:
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #6Visual Representation
Unit 4: History...or Is It?
28
14
Discussion:What is History?
Read:
Gildas, 1-8
Pseudo-Nennius (PDF)
Bede, 16-30
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 146-54
Watch: Prezi on Medieval Histories
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #3
Nov 2
15
Assignment Discussion: Checkpoint #4
Read:
Geoffrey of Monmouth, 164-86
Sir John Mandeville, 598-615
Jane Zatta, “Translating the Historia
Due by class: Zatta Article Annotation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #7Five-Minute Medievalist


Unit 5: Blame (Romances on) the French!
4
16
Endeavors (Special topic – Martial Arts)
Read:
Fight Manuals (PDF)
Contexts, Love and Marriage, 384-409
Field, “Romance in England, 1066-1400”
Berman, “Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Quarrel Over Medieval Women’s Power”
Watch: Prezi on Anglo-Norman Literature
Due by class: Field OR Berman Article Annotation (BONUS)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
9
17
Discussion:French to English Romances
Read: Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès
11

No Classes: Veterans Day

16
18
Special Guest: Kai Fay
Read:
Marie de France, Lanval
Sir Launfal (PDF)
Due by next class: Chat Room response to guest presentation
Due by Friday, midnight: Weekly Quiz #8TEDEd Lesson
18
19

Read:
Marie de France, Yonec and Equitan and Lai le Fresne
Chaucer, Clerk’s Tale (PDF)
Salisbury, Donavin, and Price, “Introduction,” Domestic Violence in Medieval Texts
Due by class: Salisbury, Donavin, Price Article Annotation
Due by midnight: Medievalist for a Semester Checkpoint #4
Unit 6: The Once and Future King...Well, We’re Waiting...
23
20
Discussion:Who is Arthur?
Assignment Discussion: Journal Article/Cover Letter
Read:
Chrétien de Troyes, “The Knight of the Cart”
Jerome Mandel, “The Idea of Family in Chrétien de Troyes and Sir Thomas Malory”
Revisit: Monmouth; Lanval
Due by class: Mandel Article Annotation
25

No Classes: Thanksgiving Recess

30
21
Endeavors (Special topic – History of the English Language)
Read:
Thomas Malory, 774-829
“Malory, ‘The Giant of St. Michael’s Mount’” (PDF)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due by Friday, midnight:Weekly Quiz #9Visual Representation
Unit 7: The Play Is the Thing
Dec 2
22
Discussion:Medieval Drama
Read:
Luminarium: Medieval Drama (play around on “Essays and Articles” and “Web Links”)
North Virginia Community College: Medieval Theatre
“The Chester Noah’s Flood,” 741-52
John Watkins, “Bedevilling the Histories of Medieval and Early Modern Drama”
Due by class: Watkins Article Annotation
7
23

Read:
"Everyman" (PDF)
York Crucifixion Play, 700-7
Watch: YouTube video of previous class performances
9
24
Endeavors (Special topic – Surprise!)
Due by end of class: Endeavors
Due TODAY, midnight: Weekly Quiz #10TEDEd Lesson
11


Due by 5PM:Medievalist for a Semester Journal Article/Cover Letter